TULSA, Oklahoma. According to the Marshall Project, under the felony murder rule, people involved in felonies where murder takes place can be held just as responsible as the person who committed the killing. This means that getaway drivers can find themselves facing serious murder charges even if they weren’t directly involved in the murder. In some cases, individuals weren’t even in the same room or house where the murder took place but still face serious criminal charges. Sometimes crimes go terribly wrong. The law has come under fire in some states where officials want to modify the rule to include only crimes where an accessory to murder actively planned the murder or acted recklessly with a clear indifference to human life.
In some extreme cases, individuals were charged with murder who didn’t even know a murder had occurred. They were just waiting in a car while a friend was robbing a house. Research into the law has found that women and youth are particularly impacted. However, proponents of the law claim that it can help prosecutors get convictions when gang violence takes place.
Yet felony murder crimes can involve many scenarios beyond gang violence. If a person is killed due to police shootings at the scene of a crime, people involved in the crime can face felony murder charges.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, according to News 6, a woman who was a getaway driver is facing felony murder charges after her accomplices were shot to death by the homeowner’s son. The woman admits guilt to the robbery but she doesn’t believe she should be held responsible for the murders.
The Marshall Project reported that in 2012, several young men invaded a home to try to steal money. The homeowner shot one of the invaders in self-defense, but the other intruders were ultimately charged with the dead intruder’s murder. And, in California, when several teens went to purchase marijuana, one teen fatally stabbed another, but all the teens involved in the drug deal were ultimately charged with the murder even though they weren’t directly involved in the altercation. One of the teens wasn’t even inside the home where the murder took place.
If the law is changed, then individuals who were charged with felony murder in some states may be able to petition to have their cases reviewed. Some of these individuals are serving long or life sentences.
The Henson Law Firm, P.L.L.C. are criminal defense lawyers in Tulsa, Oklahoma who work closely with individuals facing serious criminal charges. When your life hangs in the balance, you need a qualified lawyer working by your side. You are innocent until proven guilty.
If you are facing serious criminal charges, you have the right to remain silent and the right to speak to an attorney. Consider speaking to a qualified criminal defense lawyer, like the Henson Law Firm, P.L.L.C. today.
THE HENSON LAW FIRM, PLLC
Attorneys and Counselors at Law
406 S. Boulder, Suite 400
Tulsa, OK 74103-3800
Telephone : (918) 551-8995
